Summary
Pomatoceros caeruleus possesses a pair of simple acinar calcium-secreting glands lying in the ventral peristomium. Each gland has a single large secretory acinus containing columnar secretory cells with basal nuclei. Golgi complexes and flattened cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum are abundant in the midregion and secretory vacuoles fill the apical cytoplasm. Elongate microvilli extend from the apices of the cells into the gland lumen. An organelle-free zone, the intracellular channel, extends from near the base almost to the apex of the cells. It is bordered on one side by the lateral cell membranes and is separated from the organelle compartment by elongate profiles of the rough endoplasmic reticulum.
The secretory products of the calcium-secreting glands have the form of cubic or rhombohedral granules with average dimensions of 150–200 mμ on a side. The granules are composed of a fibrous organic matrix in which needle-like calcite crystals are deposited. The possible mode of synthesis of the calcified secretory granules is discussed.
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Part of this work represents a portion of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Duke University. I wish to express my thanks to Dr. Karl M. Wilbur and Dr. Norimitsu Watabe for their advice and encouragement during this study. This study was supported by Public Health Service Grants 5TI DE 92-05 and DE 02668 from the National Institutes of Health.
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Neff, J.M. Ultrastructural studies of the secretion of calcium carbonate by the serpulid polychaete worm, Pomatoceros caeruleus . Z. Zellforsch. 120, 160–186 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335534
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335534